Simon Pegg’s script flings Star Trek Beyond into the galaxy of the mediocre July 20, 2016 The third outing in this hit-and-miss reboot is notable for having been penned by one of its stars – England’s own Simon Pegg. His fingerprints are present throughout, as Dr Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) traverse a script full of pop-cultural references and obvious reverence for all things Trek. We meet them [...]
The BFG: Steven Spielberg’s mega-bucks adaptation captures the surface but misses the soul of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic July 20, 2016 There's a lot of common ground between Steven Spielberg and Roald Dahl. Both incarnate aspects of childhood; the unrefined wonderment, the valorisation of innocence. And for long stretches, this mega-budget live-action adaptation seems like a great fit. Mark Rylance, as the titular Big Friendly Giant, provides much of the charm, playing his part with dignity [...]
Keanu film review: a clever pastiche of action films and urban culture starring TV duo Key and Peele July 14, 2016 How far would you go to save a cat? That's the question asked by this new action-comedy from TV duo Key and Peele, the cousins forced to become gangsters by a nefarious drug dealer (Method Man) in order to get their beloved kitten Keanu back. The stars have a terrific natural rapport, morphing seamlessly from [...]
Ghostbusters at the Imax, The Lambeth Country Show and the world’s first VR play: 11 things to do in London this weekend July 14, 2016 1. Go to Barbican to see Ragnar Kjartansson Art, Barbican Centre, 10.00-17.30, £12 A self-aware, light-hearted, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny show, and a rare chance to enjoy a master of performance art whose work has never before been collected in the UK. 2. And while you’re there, book tickets to see Needles and Opium Theatre, Barbican [...]
Ghostbusters review: Just how important is a penis when it comes to running a successful ghost busting enterprise? July 14, 2016 How can a woman bust a ghost when her dumb boobs would just get in the way? This philosophical quandary is just one of the many posed by the terrible crowd of awful men who live on the internet and split their time evenly between shouting at imaginary women and angrily squirming around on the [...]
Ctrl at RADA Studios by Breaking Fourth is the world’s first VR play, and we can’t get enough of it July 14, 2016 This debut feature from Breaking Fourth claims to be the first Virtual Reality play, combining elements of video game storytelling with both traditional and immersive theatre. In this case, the “theatre” is a dark room filled with swivel chairs, where you’re given a short, in-character introduction before being told to don your VR headset (Samsung [...]
Cut is a psychological thriller half set in complete darkness July 14, 2016 A one-woman art performance in which a stunned audience is subjected to the traumatic inner brain-wrongs of a rapidly unravelling, paranoid air hostess, Cut is part psychological thriller and part first-person exploration of violent schizophrenic horror. In the tiny Vaults Theatre beneath the rail arches of Waterloo station, viewers are repeatedly plunged into complete darkness [...]
The Stripper play at St James Theatre review: Richard O’Brien’s follow-up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show gets stuck in a sexist time warp July 13, 2016 This 1980 musical by Rocky Horror writer Richard O’Brien – itself an adaptation of Carter Brown’s pulpy 1959 short story – fails at any point to justify its revival. O’Brien’s hero is Al Wheeler (Sebastien Torkia), a California cop who fails to save the suicidal Patty Keller (Gloria Onitri) from a window ledge drop. “Did [...]
Unreachable at the Royal Court theatre review: former Doctor Who Matt Smith adds sparkle to this meandering tale of egotistical genius July 13, 2016 Anthony Neilson’s latest play is a wry examination of tortured artists and overblown filmmakers, a cautionary tale of how ego can sever your links to reality. It may remind you of the more dramatic people on your Instagram feed. Troubled director Maxim (Matt Smith) is obsessed with capturing light on film. Not just any light: [...]
Men & Chicken movie review: Mads Mikkelsen stars in this deranged, blacker than black Danish comedy July 13, 2016 This pitch-black Danish comedy touches upon incest, sex addiction, bestiality and vivisection, yet still manages to be disarmingly adorable. It follows two cleft-lipped brothers, depressive Gabriel (David Dencik) and compulsive masturbator Elias (Mads Mikkelsen, in a role as far from his part as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale as it’s possible to get) as they search [...]